In some cases, productions of a hydrocarbon reservoir can be impacted by near wellbore damage. In the context of the oil and gas industry, a near-wellbore region refers to rock formations in the subterranean structure that are in the vicinity of the wellbore (for example, about a few centimeters from the rock surface of the bore-hole wall). Near-wellbore damage refers to flow restrictions caused by the reduction of permeability in the near-wellbore region during drilling, completion, or workover operations. Near-wellbore damage can significantly affect productivity of the well.
In wellbore drilling operations, a drilling fluid is flowed from a surface through a drill string and into a drill bit drilling the rock formation. The drilling fluid flows through the drill bit and returns to the surface through an annulus formed between the borehole wall and the drill string. The drilling fluid is also referred to as the drilling mud or the mud.